To Hold the Sun
by Donomni
Summary: Naruto and Hinata become friends before they even enter the Academy. They end up on Team 7 with Sasuke. Together, they have to face freakish strength, nasty monsters, comic book geeks, and western nations. Romance isn't the problem. Surviving is.
1. Crash Into Hello

From the author's brainmeats: Well, here's my first serious attempt at fanfiction. Um, yay? I plan on updating once a week. Anywho, it's a Naruto and Hinata story where they meet and become friends before they even reach the academy. They end up on Team 7 with Sasuke, and have to deal with freakish strength, dangerous monsters, comic book geeks, and western nations. Romance isn't the problem. Surviving _is_. Honorifics will be kept, but only as a nod to the fact that they are speaking an eastern language. Once westerners enter the fic, don't expect them to use it. Also, please please _please_ let me know of any spelling or grammar errors. The last thing I need is for my fic to be unreadable. So review, too, dood!(What? I like Prinnies.)

"Insert words here": Characters speaking

_Insert thoughts here_: Characters thinking

Disclaimer: I don't own anything important or worth money, especially Naruto. That would imply that I make an effort.

* * *

To Hold the Sun

Chapter 1: Crash Into Hello

Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Located in the Land of Fire, one of the many nations in the area of the world known as Naito. Konoha, considered the largest and most powerful of the 5 main Hidden Villages, with its mighty collection of talented ninja, is considered one of the safest places in Naito, possibly even the entire world.

Especially for children.

Especially for 5-year-olds.

Not so much for a 5-year-old who had a 9-tailed beast sealed in their body, who had the _brilliant_ idea of sneaking out of the orphanage at night to play.

Naruto Uzumaki was really starting to regret his latest plan. You would too, if you had a bunch of angry villagers chasing you for reasons you don't know.

The small blond knew he had to evade his pursuers, so he did what he had done for the past few months when people ran at him with the threat of beatings and sharp, pointy objects on his person: run from the streets and into the small forests that make up part of the village. Somehow, when fleeing for his life, every time he went into the woods, he would manage to come out unharmed, his pursuers mysteriously gone.

Heading out into the streets again, Naruto turned his head and tried to see if he lost the small mob that was behind him. Not a single person was following him anymore.

He was safe.

Or he might be, if he remembered to turn his head back around. But he didn't, so, as luck would have it, he ran into an little obstacle.

"Ow!"

"Aah!"

Naruto was already berating himself. "Jeez, I didn't think I'd run into a wall..."

A small groan made him jump to the usual conclusion. _Wait, since when do walls have a voice?_

Usual for Naruto, mind you.

Another voice, rather concerned, made its presence known to him. "Oh, dear. Are you two all right?"

Naruto stopped rubbing his head and looked up at the speaker. The voice belonged to a woman in her twenties, having a slender face and blue, near purple hair neatly going down her head to just slightly past her waist. She was wearing a simple purple kimono that showed her modest figure, as well as wearing a simple pair of slippers to protect her feet. What got Naruto's attention, however, was her eyes. No noticeable pupils, just round irises the color of lavender. He'd never seen eyes like that before, he was sure of it.

The woman, Akemi Hyuuga, looked at the blue eyed, blond boy, wearing nothing but a white shirt with the familiar Leaf symbol on it, and orange shorts. He was barefoot, and looked rather dirty. Then she noticed the six whisker-like marks on his face, and recognition set in. _Poor boy, he's the one that the Yondaime had to..._

"Little boy, are you alright? You seem to have upset my daughter." Akemi had hoped the child was aware of her girl, as she was rather upset, and knelt down to console her.

Naruto stood, and looked at the "wall" he ran into. Before him was a small girl, most likely his age, who looked like a near carbon copy of the mother she was next to, down to the small slippers. The only difference was that instead of the hair going down the back to her waist, was that it was trimmed to be level with her ears, and the girl also had two locks of hair to frame her face. Again, however, Naruto was drawn to those pale eyes, like her mothers... but full of tears.

Naruto wasn't the best at dealing with people, but something told him that he didn't like it when she cried. _I made it happen too, huh? That's not good!_

He decided to go over and address the girl. "Oh, uh, hey. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to run into you and knock you down. Don't cry." With that, he pasted on the biggest, toothy smile he had.

The girl looked up at the boy, wondering why he wasn't actually trying to be mean. The boys at the Hyuuga manor always said she was icky and weak. It wasn't her fault, she just started training! This boy, though, didn't seem to have any problems at all with her. And that goofy smile...

She couldn't help it. She laughed.

Akemi had to smile as her daughter wiped the tears from her eyes. Rising with her daughter, she said, "Now there, you see, Hinata-chan? It was just an accident. Nothing to worry about."

Hinata, however, was still staring at the boy, noting how he looked. _His eyes, that hair, and... whiskers? He kinda looks like a kitty!_ Hinata liked kitties.

At that moment, two things made it to Hinata's mind: She liked this boy, and she nearly forgot her shyness. Cue her natural habit of blushing in embarrassment, general mumbling of discomfort, and the nervous touching together of her index fingers.

To Akemi, she saw her daughter have a genuine interest in the boy.

To Naruto, he just thought she was acting funny. "So, your name's Hinata? Mine's Naruto."

Hinata tried to keep herself from messing up her first meeting with the only boy who was trying to be nice to her. "H-hello, Naruto..."

_This_ was a surprise to him. Naruto never had any kid be nice to him, and not have a parent drag the kid away while giving him an ugly look. He saw a chance; he might actually make a friend.

He had to ask. "Hey, Hinata? Would you like to be my friend?"

Both mother and daughter were shocked. Hinata never actually had a friend before. The divide between the main and branch families saw to that. This was also the first time Hinata ever left the manor. Akemi had a suspicion that Naruto didn't have friends either. Hinata looked to her mother for guidance. Seeing Naruto's fearful eyes at this moment, Akemi simply nodded to Hinata.

Gathering as much courage as she could, Hinata replied, "Y-yes, I would l-like that." Hinata suddenly wondered if she did something wrong.

Naruto was crying. She said yes. Her mother didn't take her away and scowl at him. Angry people weren't coming out of nowhere while a red-faced man with googly eyes said, "It's a trap!"

Grabbing Hinata in a hug, he sobbed out, "T-thank you, thank you!"

She would've passed out in embarrassment if it weren't for Akemi. "Well now, while I would have loved to see you two play today, it's rather late. How about we take you to your home, Naruto, and we'll visit you tomorrow?"

Letting Hinata out of the hug, wiping his tears off, and grabbing her hand, Naruto led the way. "Ok, follow me!"

Seeing Naruto tug Hinata along brought a few tears to Akemi's own face. She knew where he was taking them. Now, like 5 years ago, she wanted to adopt the little ball of energy and call him her own. The elders, however, would probably do something horrible to the child as soon as he set foot in the manor. _Minato, Kushina, he'd make you so proud. Perhaps I should remind Hiashi about a certain deal Minato wanted set up. Nothing to make a cute couple better than a little insurance..._

* * *

Meanwhile, a few moments after Naruto ran into the forest...

Some days, Kakashi Hatake really hated his job. It was bad enough to capture, knock out, and sometimes kill the villagers hell-bent on harming Naruto. But at least he was doing the right thing. He was honoring his sensei's sacrifice by keeping Minato's only son, burdened with carrying the very demon Minato lost his life stopping, safe.

But if he knew who he was working with, you couldn't have paid him enough to actually _take_ the job.

"Look, I'm just saying Duke Vader has the advantage here."

"Are you kidding? No Sire Wars character can match up to the Sandaime. He completely outclasses them."

"Oh, _come on. _The Faith totally blows any ninjutsu and genjutsu out of the water! Besides, this is Duke Vader, the guy has the Dark Side advantage. He Faith Choked a _dragon _to death! The Sandaime wouldn't even get close enough to pull off a proper attack, he wouldn't even be able to use a jutsu! You can't use a jutsu to win if you can't talk."

"What? Dude, there are jutsus that can be done without saying anything! And what about a sneak attack?"

"He couldn't _possibly_ get close enough to land a hit on Duke Vader without him sensing him. The Faith is that good. And have you ever actually heard of the Sandaime use a jutsu without speaking? I think not. And I haven't even gotten started on how the Knightsabre adds to the equation."

"Yeah, well-"

_That's it._ He could only take so much. "21, 24, shut the hell up, or I will make you shut up!" He glared at the stout, short man with brown hair and the tall, skinny man with black hair, both standing near the unconscious villagers that were tied up, both wearing the standard-issue ANBU armor and masks, as Kakashi himself was wearing.

The shorter one replied, "Ooh, uh... sorry about that, Captain. Didn't mean to set you off there."

Kakashi sighed, tired already from the day. "Forget it. I just want this job over with. It's been a long day."

Tall man took his turn in the discussion. "Yeah, man, you and me both. 21, what do you think?"

"Reading my mind, man. You'd think after 5 years of seeing other people getting their heads cut off and sent to Ibiki, that that would stop them from going after the kid. Right, 24?"

"Yup. Man, I feel sorry for that kid."

At this time, one of the villagers had the need to wake up. And stare right at the ANBU in front of him. And scream his head off. One slice later...

"Ah, shit! Reflex! _So_ sorry!"

"Dude, not cool, I got freaking dead guy blood in my eye! Thanks a lot, 21!"

"Don't panic, 24! Blink it out! _Blink it out!_"

Kakashi had to sigh again. _How did I get stuck with these guys?_

* * *

Next chapter: 3 years pass by. While Naruto and Hinata head off to the academy, Hiashi and Sarutobi reflect on the kid's development, and Kakashi prays to the Kamis to get him off the same team as 21 and 24!

* * *

Stuff you should know:

Naito: What I'm calling the area that's the territory of the 5 big Shinobi Nations, and the surrounding smaller nations. Translated to English, it means "night"(Oh, gee, that was hard to guess!).

Kimono: Traditional Japanese robe worn by both men and women.

Akemi: Name I decided on for Hinata's mom. Means "bright and beautiful".

Yondaime: Title referring to the 4th Kage of a Hidden Village.

-chan: Honorific, normally used to address little girls. Sometimes used relating to affections towards a girl, regardless of age.

Sire Wars: Star Wars rip... I mean, uh, _counterpart_ for this story. Simply replace space with medieval Europe.

Sandaime: Title referring to the 3rd Kage of a Hidden Village.


	2. Ch ch ch changes

More from mah brainmeats: 4 ½ pages of story alone this time! It might get a bit bigger next chapter... maybe. I'm glad people have liked 21 and 24, it was a bit easier to picture them as ANBU than I thought. They won't really be central to the plot, but they will be around to inject some fun into the story. I'll make Sire Wars references here and there as well, but probably not as often as 21 and 24 showing up. A note about honorifics: Hinata only just met Naruto last chapter, and wasn't that familiar with him. Won't take long for that to change, though! And yay for getting the Ackbar joke! Last thing: While Land of Waves and the Chuunin exam will happen, you can forget it being some copy/paste job. I've got some changes for that in mind! Anyways, please review, and lemme know what you think!

Disclaimer: Naruto, Star Wars, and Venture Brothers all belong to balding, fat men. 21 and 24 in an even _more_ dangerous job, as well as an adventure long ago, in a kingdom far, far away? _Totally_ my idea.

* * *

To Hold the Sun

Chapter 2: Ch-ch-ch-changes

* * *

And the years went by. Naruto actually had to pinch himself after Akemi and Hinata returned in the morning. Part of him believed that they wouldn't return. Any doubt he had was instantly squashed when they walked up to the orphanage, himself right outside, eagerly waiting for them. He was equally surprised when they both greeted him as Naruto-kun. New parents normally called the boys they adopted by that term, so Naruto himself was delighted that someone, _anyone_, would call him that. Most of the time, he'd either get demon-child, teme, or, at least from some of the more scary men, piece of shit. 

Naruto decided that Akemi and Hinata needed to know this particular gem of information.

Akemi herself was rather shocked that Naruto even _knew_ such a word, let alone be shunned by the entire village. She had thought that someone would try to be nice to the boy before passing judgment, besides the Hokage himself, but that seemed to not be the case. The caretakers at the orphanage _would_ feed and care for him, when absolutely needed, but beyond that... they ignored him. The wife of the clan head, however, knew that they wouldn't willingly change their opinion, at least not easily, even with a stern talking-to from a member, let alone the wife of the clan head, of one of the most prestigious clans in Konoha. They would simply have to see his nature for their own.

Hinata herself certainly did. For all of her short life, she never could get over her shyness around, well, _everyone_, and many embarrassing situations put a real damper on her confidence.

Naruto didn't care. Sure, she blushed a lot, sometimes tripped, and couldn't form a complete sentence without stuttering, but he didn't mind. He had a friend. And he would be there for her.

It was with this that Hinata started coming out of her shell. For the first few days, she ended up passing out if Naruto held on her hand for too long, or decided to give her a hug.

Her mother wondered exactly how the poor girl stayed conscious on the first night they all met. The child was probably just stunned when Naruto was nice to her, and completely out of it when he hugged her.

The fainting wasn't a problem for too long, however, and the passing months soon had Hinata being able to talk to Naruto normally. She still couldn't handle other people too well, though, and with Naruto or not, she somehow still found ways to blush.

Not that Naruto minded. He was starting to think it was cute.

Eventually, after enough prodding from his wife, Hiashi Hyuuga decided to visit the boy himself, if only to see proof that his daughter was actually becoming able to properly socialize. Seeing the hyperactive boy and Hinata playing together peacefully came as a welcome surprise to him. He was never sure when exactly Hinata would get over her shyness, and definitely didn't think _this_ boy would be responsible for it. While the majority of the village had condemned the child at the start, he took on a wait-and-see approach, the only reason why he allowed his daughter and Naruto to play in the first place.

Not that his wife would _care_ about that decision, but it was nice to agree on something.

The boy did seem trustworthy, for now, so Hiashi decided to give Naruto that trust. He would always be secretly vigilant, but it was necessary. To not be would be of detriment to his clan, to his family.

Some days, all of them days Hiashi was present, Naruto would get a glimpse of Hinata's training. At the age of 5, however, it was nothing more than basic Juuken stances, as well as Hinata trying to use the Byakugan properly. Naruto made a point to never, _ever_ make the Hyuuga heiress mad. Veins bulging around your eyes can make_anyone_ look scary.

Of the visitors Naruto received, Sarutobi himself was the least frequent. The Sandaime Hokage made a point of seeing the boy as often as possible, but with all the work that came with the title Hokage, he never had as much time as he wanted to visit. The Hokage was pleasantly surprised when he first saw Akemi at the orphanage front, Naruto and Hinata playing nearby, even more so when he noticed that Hiashi sometimes appeared. He learned that Akemi was taking her time, every day, teaching Naruto about the world in general, of manners and how people should act. She told the tale of Naruto learning just what "-chan" meant, and how Naruto immediately began calling Akemi's daughter Hinata-chan.

That play-date had to end rather early that day, the little girl just wouldn't wake up after that.

With all the days that had passed, Naruto would repeat his dream to be respected by the village: becoming Hokage. While many would consider it to be a fool's dream, Akemi and Sarutobi knew otherwise. Hinata never thought it was impossible for Naruto either; she wanted to make certain that he would become Hokage, whatever the cost might be.

Unfortunately, some things are taken, without any mention of a cost.

* * *

Only a few months after Hinata turned seven, tragedy struck.

Hinata's birth was problem-free. The medic-nins on call had said that there was no need for them to be there.

On the day Hanabi was born, there would never have been enough aid to help Akemi. What was a natural birth turned into a C-section. From there, it turned into a disaster. Hanabi was extracted with no injury to the child, but her mother was another story. Every time they tried to close the incisions, they would instantly re-open. No matter what was tried, more blood would be lost.

The day Hanabi Hyuuga would celebrate her birthday... would be the day people would mourn the loss of her mother.

Hiashi was devastated. However, one would not notice, as he almost completely rid himself of emotion, besides anger and annoyance. From now on, the Hyuuga clan would be strong, no matter what.

But Hinata, apparently, was not. After her mother's death shook her to her very core, Hiashi immediately began to push her fiercely into her training, reprimanding her every time she did something that was not up to par.

For some reason, this was most of the time.

As per Akemi's wishes before her ill-fated surgery, Hinata was still allowed to visit Naruto. She would, however, be escorted by a random branch family member, dropped off, and be left with Naruto on her own, until Hiashi determined it was time for her to return home. Their time together was drastically shortened.

Besides that, Naruto was affected as well. Why wouldn't he? Akemi was like a mother to him, and taught him so much. The Hyuuga head he had respected turned into an cold, hard, wall of steel. His only friend would spend much of her time cursing herself for being weak, and crying for things she had no control over.

He had to do something. Naruto had already promised to keep Hinata from crying, ever since they first met. So he did the only thing he could do.

He made her laugh.

Only days after Akemi's death, Naruto began establishing a reputation as the #1 prankster in all of Konoha. Slippery floors, gunk on the head, and plain old generic mayhem was soon commonplace in the village. Many would try to prevent his tricks. None would succeed. Many would chase him. Few would catch him. The Hokage would never be too strict. It was simple to figure out. Akemi's death before any of these pranks happened, the Hyuuga girl's tearful face following the boy as he was dragged to his judgment. Naruto never intended to pull a prank for himself.

He did it for Hinata.

* * *

Now Naruto and Hinata, at the age of eight, stood in front of the Konoha Ninja Academy. Both wanted to become shinobi. Naruto, to become Hokage. Hinata, to please her father, and to help Naruto. The time had come to take that first step. 

The prankster himself was wearing an orange jumpsuit, blue sandals, as well as the goggles he now always wore, a birthday gift from Hinata. It was something that would have people immediately recognize him, as well as the whole getup proving his inability to grasp the concept of stealth.

Or fashion. Or taste.

The Hokage had allowed Naruto to begin living on his own as soon as he turned 8, selecting an apartment and giving the boy money to buy food, clothing, and other necessities. It was because of this that Naruto was able to select his current choice in fashion... partly from his own tastes, and partly due to the lack of stores he could actually enter, which increased from none to a few in the last 3 years.

Having the favor of Akemi Hyuuga did help him in more ways than one.

Hinata herself was wearing a light, bulky jacket under a dark blue undershirt, as well as matching blue pants, and sandals identical to Naruto's. She also began to wear her hair long, as a tribute to her mother. While still sad over her death, and always rather sore about her father, Hinata had mostly recovered to how she was before her sister's birth, and the loss that came with it.

Naruto did like her new hairstyle. He may have been a bit biased, however, as he had run into a ninja that had a haircut similar to her old one...

Who seemed to possess a lack of most of the lessons on behavior that Akemi had taught Naruto.

And sanity.

And wore all green for some reason.

Of course, had Naruto voiced his thoughts on Maito Guy, someone would have replied along the lines of "Calling the kettle black", or something similar.

_Bleh, forget that goof. It's time._ "Hey, Hinata-chan, are you ready?"

"Um, yes. Let's go, Naruto-kun."

Obligatory fist in the air. "Yeah, let's do it!"

The both of them went forward, anxious, possibly even scared... but determined.

* * *

Watching them with a calm, judgmental face was how Sarutobi found Hiashi. Ever since his wife died, the man was an enigma to the Hokage. He never knew what the man was thinking, unless told up front. Even then...

"Do you have doubts, Hiashi-san?"

"While my daughter is weak, she is still a Hyuuga. She will not fail."

_At least he has a _small_ appreciation for his daughter._ "Then you think a concern lies with Naruto?"

Hiashi, still looking ahead, narrowed his eyes. "The boy is unskilled, untrained. He is not ready. I question when he will be."

The Sandaime had to sigh. "Many people did not seem ready, yet made it through. Have faith."

Silence.

Sarutobi continued. "You need to mourn properly, and try to move on. Your daughter is trying to do so herself. Help; do not be ruined by the past."

With nothing more than a small grunt, the Hyuuga head left Sarutobi and headed for the gathered parents, waiting for the opening ceremony of the year to start. Hiashi knew all too well that dwelling in the past would do nothing for him.

He would rather work... for the future.

The Hokage himself, however, was stalled by the arrival of a certain ANBU captain...

"Please, Hokage-sama! I'll do anything!"

Sarutobi had never seen Kakashi so desperate. "Are you certain? To step down from the ANBU, being a captain, no less, is a rather big decision."

Kakashi couldn't believe his ears. Was the Sandaime really that cruel? Or did he really not know? "Hokage-sama, I'm absolutely certain! Now please, before they..."

"24, it is _so_ obvious. Greedalox shot first. Goblin had it coming."

"No way! 21, I saw Han Solo shoot first. Classic Mongolian behavior."

"Then why did they change it for further releases? Obviously, Sir George's vision was to paint Han as a noble savage."

"Please, it was censorship. Someone didn't like one of the good guys being crossbow-trigger-happy. So they changed the scene!"

"Lies!"

Kakashi saw his life flash before his eyes, as the two ANBU he had been assigned to bickered like a Yamanaka against a Haruno. _Dear Kami, they just won't stop..._

The pieces fit together easily for Sarutobi. "Well, Kakashi, you said _anything_, right?"

Konoha's Copy Ninja couldn't believe his luck. "Yes, anything! I beg of you!"

The Hokage just smiled. "Hmm... there are a few things that need to be done. We're lacking Jounins, you see..."

* * *

Next chapter: Naruto and Hinata go through the Academy, befriending Iruka along the way. Naruto does what he can to pass as a Genin, and nearly gets himself and Hinata killed! At the end of it all, Sarutobi might just have to get some help...

* * *

Stuff you should know:

-kun: Honorific, meant to show familiarity or affection to men and boys.

Teme: Stands for "bastard". Sometimes used as an honorific.

Juuken: Called "Gentle Fist" in the dub, this is the taijutsu style favored by the Hyuuga clan.

-san: Honorific, meant to show respect to most people. Mostly used for politeness.

-sama: Honorific, meant to show great respect, such as a worker to an employer.


	3. Academy Days

Hay you guys: Oh my God, this is a monster! 14 pages! Nearly 5600 words... all story! My hands hurt. Even worse, FF was screwy and wouldn't let me finish editing in time! D: Man, I feel for all the writers out there, especially those who spend so much time on this stuff. Anywho, I hope this holds you guys over for a while, next chapter will be Tuesday again(I hope.). Thanks for the reviews, and lemme know what you think!

_Quick Note: _Found some mistakes here and in Chapter 2, they should be fixed. Percent signs don't work, apparently.

* * *

Disclaimer: Ug no own Naruto. Ug no own Venture Brothers. Me no own them, either(Yeah, that's right, no Sire Wars this time!).

* * *

To Hold the Sun 

Chapter 3: Academy days

* * *

The first year at the Academy started out well enough. Naruto made a point to try and get to know everyone at the Academy, with Hinata always beside him, if only to prove that the boy was capable of making friends. 

Ok, so she really wanted to stay by her only friend. Who wouldn't?

Many Academy students, apparently. The majority tried their utmost to stay away from Naruto. Those that didn't? Well...

One of the first students he tried to befriend was Sakura Haruno. Naruto thought she was rather cute. She would make a good friend. She'd probably like being called "-chan" too.

Except replace "like" with "hate you so much you get a fist in your face".

And "probably" with "absolutely".

After spending the better portion of that day with an ice pack over his then swollen eye, Naruto was having different thoughts.

_Screw it, she wasn't THAT pretty... Hinata-chan's cuter._

It was a unanimous decision(Ok, unanimous as far as two people could be) that they both kept some distance from the quite-possibly bipolar girl.

Actually, after they saw a pile of girls try and mangle each other trying to get close to Sasuke Uchiha, with Ino Yamanaka actually making an attempt at biting a girl's arm off...

Hinata seemed to be the only sane girl in their class.

Speaking of Sasuke, at first, he just seemed to be an over-achiever, too focused to notice the not-so-deadly-to-him mob trying to go for his affections.

Sadly, it got worse.

Naruto knew of the Uchiha massacre before the rest of the Academy, but only through Hinata. While she wasn't really interested in gossip, hearing your clan talk of the murder of another clan, in the same village, no less, was not a thing to ignore. The fact that the Hokage asked the men of the Hyuuga to clean up the mess and give one of their rivals a burial was interesting as well.

The deed was somehow done by Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's older brother, and pride of his clan. Hinata herself could not fathom why he would do such a thing, although a few clan members had stated that the Uchiha were rather unseemly.

As the end result of this, however, Sasuke became even _more_ devoted to becoming stronger. His originally eager, yet calm attitude had been replace with an uncaring, cynical one. When Naruto tried to befriend him, the Uchiha brushed him off, saying that there was no time for friends, and certainly not any weak goofballs.

Of course, 98 percent of the girls in class didn't seem to notice, or care...

It should have been 99 percent, but Naruto and Hinata noticed Sakura had at least some sense, actually avoiding the giant catfight perpetually in front of Sasuke and trying to console him, which never seemed to work.

After getting hit in the face again after trying to befriend her for the second time, though, Naruto simply chalked it up to her simply getting smarter as a fangirl.

Another strange side effect of the Uchiha clan's near-total demise, however, Naruto was no longer ambushed by angry villagers at night. He tried to stay home at night, but sometimes he ended up wandering the streets anyways, with a bunch of them coming out of nowhere, leading to his tried-but-true "Run-through-the-forest-and-evade-them" technique.

Although it was more of the ANBU's "Ambush-and-nullify-the-threat" operation... but Naruto never needed to know that, so calling it his own wasn't a problem to them.

Naruto and Hinata did make a few acquaintances, however. Shikamaru Nara was one of the laziest... all right, _the_ laziest person they had ever met. Wanting to spend more time watching clouds and playing Shogi or Go than anything else, he called everything a drag on his life... at least for the first couple of years they met him, then he simply went for being more intellectual and call everything troublesome. He never really saw them as too much of a problem(Although Naruto's impatience was pretty troublesome), though, and spent an occasional day with them, discussing important subjects.

Like clouds.

Or how the ground is too hard in some spots to lay on.

Or complaining about the weather.

Just not altogether. Days with Shikamaru were never very active.

It was through the lazy Nara that they met Chouji Akimichi, the "pleasantly plump"(Naruto learned the HARD way not to call him fat), constantly eating buddy of Shikamaru. He was always the go-to guy for a good snack... just never the last one. Hinata did try to improve his eating habits, but seeing him shriek like a girl, and then pass out, at the mention of salad...

Let's just say the boys had a _lot_ of blackmail material.

Despite that, Chouji enjoyed their company, and made a note to carry a spare bag of snacks for them, just in case.

No guarantees, though. Some days he was just ravenous.

Shino Aburame was an... interesting person. He was extremely intelligent, and with his glasses and coat covering most of his features, as well as his neutral voice, no one could really guess his emotions. That never stopped Naruto and Hinata from trying to be friends with him. They learned that Shino was very frank about what he had to talk about.

Like his bugs. Naruto thought it was cool.

Hinata, while a bit disturbed, was more worried if they were hurting him, with them crawling all inside his body and what-not.

It was Shino's opinion that, while hyperactive or meek, depending on which person of the pair you were speaking of... were not particularly harmful to his emotional stability.

Hinata told Naruto that meant that they were good people to have around.

Then there was Kiba Inuzuka. Now, the guy seemed rather nice, and didn't seem to think less of either Naruto or Hinata... but half the time he just seemed to ignore Naruto, and glue himself to Hinata, giving her a rather large amount of attention.

For Hinata, this was uncomfortable. She liked her personal space... with a blond-haired exception, of course.

Naruto, however, was annoyed. Kiba was just ignoring him, and trying to spend time with his best friend! How _dare_ he!

No, Akemi never got around to teaching Naruto boy/girl relationships, why do you ask? Not so much with jealousy, either.

Days with Kiba normally resulted in either: Naruto just growling at Kiba from a few feet away, trying to get Hinata away from Kiba, or, his personal favorite, beating the snot out of the guy, with Kiba wondering what the hell Naruto was doing.

It's not like Naruto was kissing her, right? That meant she was available.

This, of course, was what Iruka Umino had to deal with.

8-year-olds trying to kill each other over _relationships_.

There really had to be something in the water. Why else would they be acting like teenagers instead of flinging mud pies at each other?

Talking to Naruto and Hinata, though, let Iruka find out that only the Sasuke Fan Club™ and the Inuzuka seemed to have had any sort of mind-altering substances.

Naruto was only worried about his best friend, and for the longest time, his only one. As such, Iruka let Naruto off the hook, telling him to try and hold his temper, as well as telling Hinata to take an active role in getting out of the situation.

This led to the obvious conclusion: Naruto using Hinata's arm to try and beat Kiba up and poke him in the eye.

Iruka simply resigned himself to try and minimize the total damage this kid's antics would cause. It was gonna be a looooong four years...

* * *

Over the first two years at the Academy, Iruka got to know Naruto and Hinata some more. He took them to Ichiraku's from time to time, in order to hear the stories of the lives they led. 

Teuchi and Ayame, the two who worked and owned the stand, would bless the Kamis for sending them the best customer in the history of _ever_.

Iruka would curse himself for getting Naruto addicted to ramen. Even moreso for getting stuck with the bill. The kid was a bottomless pit. How could he eat that much!?

Nonetheless, the Chuunin instructor would hear how the two were raised by Akemi, and how they managed to pull through her tragic demise. The idea managed to click together that Naruto had begun pulling pranks as a way for Hinata to have some joy in her life, and Iruka found some newfound respect for the boy.

_People see this boy as a threat... I see someone the Yondaime would be proud of. He's a good kid._

There were many times Iruka had talks with Naruto regarding his grades. While putting much effort into his work, Naruto simply didn't match up to par with the rest of the class. The problem, however, was that Naruto didn't have a lot of guidance. The teachers would always find a way to weasel around the child's requests for help, even though his grades had him as the worst student. Iruka had far too many duties to give Naruto proper help, though, and it made him furious.

Because of this, Iruka suggested that Naruto train with Hinata. It would allow him to learn what he needed, and with the amount of energy the kid put into training, he would very quickly catch up to Hinata's level, and they both could then benefit. Iruka had heard of Hinata's troubles at home: until Hinata got into the Academy, Hiashi had been horribly rough with the girl, always calling out and stressing her weaknesses, and pushing her to the breaking point. It was a miracle that Naruto was there for her... she might have taken her own life otherwise.

While Hiashi stopped being so unrealistic with his daughter, he still had a high standard for his daughter to reach, and would continue to give her stern instruction. Instead of cursing her mistakes, he would go and correct them. He was still not the man before his wife died, but Hiashi no longer tried to destroy her spirit.

Sadly, Hinata's emotions were still under attack by the Hyuuga elders, as well as her cousin, Neji, the clan's so-called "cursed genius". The elders called her unfit to be a clan head. Her cousin called her spoiled. Both called her weak.

Her confidence needed a boost. Naruto needed some help. Win-win situation, right?

Iruka hoped so.

* * *

The third year kicked off with the addition of a new instructor, Mizuki Touji. Like Iruka, he took an interest in Naruto and Hinata's training and success at the Academy. 

Speaking of, by the end of the second year, Naruto was no longer dead last in the class rank. That title now belonged to Shikamaru. Like he cared.

But, Naruto was now _second_ dead last. Iruka thought the problem would be solved with Naruto working together with Hinata. It wasn't the fact that Naruto didn't understand what was being taught... mostly(Hinata tried to teach Naruto stuff other than combat, but the kid kept falling asleep...).

It was his chakra control. No matter what the jutsu, he used far too much. Putting that much chakra into a jutsu would just overload it, and cause it to fail. Again, Iruka couldn't find the time to help Naruto out much, and could only hope Hinata could help him as well as she can.

Speaking of, Iruka had taken time to talk to her about Naruto's friendship. Now, he wasn't exactly an expert on romance, but the girl had done many, many things that were above and beyond being just friends. The amount of ninja tools and food she had bought Naruto was just staggering...

It was hard to do(Well, for his bank account... Naruto never passed up free ramen), but the Chuunin managed to get Naruto to run some errands for him, while he and Hinata took a seat at a small restaurant.

_I don't exactly like going to this place, but I had to find somewhere to talk to her alone. Ichiraku's just wouldn't cut it. Might as well get started..._

"So, Hinata..."

"Yes, Iruka-sensei?" Thankfully, two years of meeting at Ichiraku's had gotten Hinata used to her teacher and friend.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about Naruto."

Hinata's eyes shifted downward. "I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei. I know the year's almost up, but we haven't made much progress with Naruto-kun's chakra control..."

Putting on a smile, Iruka diffused her worry. "Oh, don't worry so much about that. We've still got a year for it to work out."

"Um, then why did-"

"Exactly how much do you _like_ Naruto?" _No beating around the bush. Right to the point._

The Hyuuga girl didn't miss the emphasis. Now looking like a tomato with her blush, she tried to reply. "I-I, Um, Uh..."

_Looks like she does have a crush on him, at least._ "So, you do like him."

Hinata quickly shook her head.

This surprised him._ Wait, what? Then why is she..._ "You _don't_ like him?"

Not like him? The boy who was her only friend for so long? The boy who helped her cope with her mother's death, and the torment her family put her through after? The boy who always put a smile on her face, even if it meant he would get in trouble? The boy who always looked out for her, and helped her make more friends? The boy she trained with, got stronger with? Iruka didn't understand.

Like wasn't close enough.

"N-no... I love him."

Iruka's smile returned. _I thought as much._ "That's a big claim there, Hinata. But how much, though? How far would you go for him?"

"I would do anything."

"Would you give up your career, your dreams, if it meant it would help him?"_How far will it go for this, Hinata?_

Her answer was without fear. "I would give up my _life_ if it would help him... if it would save him."

_Last one, then._ Iruka wanted to be certain of this. "If you had a choice, would you choose Naruto's life over another friend's?"

Hinata lowered her head. She knew her answer, but still didn't exactly like it. "Yes. Without a doubt."

_For all the suffering he's been through, it's good to know he has truly absurd luck in the romance department... lucky teme._

Nodding, Iruka simply said, "That's good to hear. Don't worry about him not noticing you. Eventually, he'll see what he's got, and he'll never let go."

Not even her cousin could get rid of her smile that day.

* * *

With only a few weeks left in the fourth year, Iruka was doubting two things. 

First, Naruto's ability to pass the Academy's final exam. While Naruto had some improvement over his chakra control, he was still sorely lacking in the ability to form a proper bushin. What was worse about this was that if Naruto couldn't form that bushin in time for the exam, he would fail, and be kept from becoming a Genin. If that happened, Hinata would graduate, and be forced to leave Naruto behind. The Hyuuga clan simply would _not_ let her stay at the Academy for another year... especially if it was only because of Naruto.

Speaking of Hinata, that was his second concern. Nearly a year had passed since Iruka confirmed Hinata's feelings for Naruto, and the pair's behavior as a whole remained unchanged.

Except for the fact that Hinata refused to leave Naruto's side. For anything or _anyone. _Naruto, being Naruto, didn't seem to notice a thing.

Iruka was thinking he should've talked to Naruto first.

It was a good thing, then, that Iruka had managed to find some time during Hinata's training sessions at home to take the boy out to Ichiraku's.

"It's been awhile since we had some guy-time, huh?"

Naruto looked a bit confused about the term. "Guy-time? What's that?"

"Well, it's a time where guys talk about guy stuff. No girls allowed, you know?"

Living with a girl most of his life made this concept very strange. "What could I possibly talk about? I tell Hinata-chan everything."

_Time to lay the trap. _With a sly smirk, Iruka asked, "Even how much you _like_ her?"

"Yeah... sheesh, I said everything!"

This caught the Chuunin off guard. _They've been going steady for a YEAR? Damn, they're good at keeping a secret. _"Looks like I was worried over nothing. You're doing good, Naruto. She really needed that."

A wide smile was put upon Naruto's face. "It's no problem at all. Anything for my best friend, Iruka-sensei!"

Somewhere in the distance, one could hear a crow: "Ba...kaw!"

Iruka had to make sure he didn't hear wrong. "Wait, so you told her she's your best friend?"

"Yup, all the time!"

_I should've known..._ "Naruto, do you know what love is?"

"Um... it's when people really like each other, right?"

"Close. It's when you like a person enough that you would do pretty much anything for them, no matter what. Now then, do you think you love Hinata?" _He's not even embarrassed. This kid's something else._

"Hmmm... well, yeah, I guess so." Still, Naruto was a bit lost. _Ok, so I love her... still don't know where he's going with this._

"Naruto, would you do anything for Hinata?"

_Now he's just making me repeat stuff._ "I said yeah! I'd do anything!"

It was time for Iruka to get serious. "Even if it cost you your life?"

_Oh, for crying out..._ Pounding his fist on the table for emphasis, Naruto decided to leave no questions. "I'd give up my life, I'd give up my dreams. I'd give up all I own._Everything_. If it would help Hinata-chan, then there's nothing that would stop me!"

"What if you weren't risking just yourself? What if someone else's happiness was at-"

Naruto was just plain fed up at this point. "GAH! It. Doesn't. Matter! No matter who, or what gets in my way, if it would help her, save her, make her happy, or anything else, I'd do it! Now are you done, or do you have another pointless question for me!?"

_I'll show you pointless._ Chuckling, Iruka just asked, "Well then, does she know that you love her? Did you ever tell her that, specifically?"

"Oh. Um... I guess not." Naruto was a bit nervous now. "Is that bad?"

"Only a little bit. Here's what I suggest: tell her you love her. Get her gifts. Show you care about her. Give her hugs... and maybe, just maybe, she'll give you a kiss."

Now the boy began to panic. "_WHAT!?_ Kiss? We can't have a baby!"

_Wow, people really don't tell him anything, do they?_ "Naruto, kissing doesn't make babies. Anyways, you're gonna let her know how you feel, right?"

"Yeah, I will. Right after this, Iruka-sensei!"

"All right, then! Now, about your grades..."

Naruto went back to his now-cool bowl of ramen. _Aw, man. Another lecture, and cold ramen to go with it! Still... I love her, huh?_

* * *

Naruto was all ready to go and declare his love for Hinata, as he made his way to the training area where they met to train for the afternoon. 

But Hinata wasn't the only person there.

"Mizuki-sensei, what are you doing here?"

The instructor grinned at him. "Just wanted to talk to you about the exam coming up. You master making a bushin yet?"

Frowning, Naruto replied, "No... not yet. I'm working really hard on it, but I still suck at that jutsu."

Hinata wanted to defend him. "H-he is trying, Mizuki-sensei, he's working very hard."

"That may be true, but he might not master it in time, right?"

Getting a small nod from both of them, Mizuki said, "Then you'll just have to take the special exam."

"Special exam? What do you mean?" Naruto really hoped this was his ticket to graduation.

_Too easy. These kids are just plain gullible. _"Well, lemme tell you how it works..."

* * *

Later that night, the Hokage's tower was in a panic. 

"It's gone, it's gone!"

"Sound the alarms!"

"Get Hokage-sama!"

"Grab every ninja here! Top priority!"

In a matter of minutes, every shinobi available in Konoha was gathered in front of the Hokage on the roof.

Sarutobi kept a cool head, as always. "So then, one of our forbidden scrolls was taken from the tower? One filled with many of the kinjutsu forbidden by this village?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Reports indicate that it was taken by one Naruto Uzumaki."

Iruka's jaw nearly hit the floor. "What!? Naruto would never do such a thing! He'd never break a law like that!"

The Sandaime was inclined to agree. Naruto had no reason to steal the scroll, especially after the fact noone in the village was trying to physically harm the boy anymore. No, the angry mobs put together, and sent out, by Fugaku Uchiha were no longer a problem. It was still shocking how the Police Force documents had contained the orders to "Silence the beast"... but that wasn't the issue at hand. More importantly, Naruto wouldn't commit such an improper act. That is, unless...

His fears were confirmed by another shinobi's report. "Hokage-sama, we were also able to spot one Hinata Hyuuga accompanying him."

"Foul brat! Not her!"

"She's been corrupted by him! The cur!"

"Hokage-sama, this can't possibly be true! Hinata wouldn't let this happen!"

Uttering a sigh, Sarutobi made his point. "That may be true, Iruka, but you also know Naruto's determination for that girl. He'd do anything for her, that's a proven fact. Somehow, Naruto thought Hinata needed the scroll for something, and because of this, he took it."

Iruka couldn't argue with that logic. _Naruto, you'd better have a good reason for this..._

"Now, all of you are to search every inch of this village. Leave no stone unturned. Now go!" Such were the Hokage's orders.

In an instant, all the ninja had dispersed, searching everywhere for the two in question...

"You know, something really bugs me..."

_Almost_all the ninja.

"What, 21? He just explained the whole thing."

"No no, it's not that, 24. It's, well... is this place _really_ a village?"

"Huh, it does seem to be a bit too big for that."

"Yeah, it seems it should be called a large town, or maybe a small city."

"I do kinda like the ring of City Hidden in-"

"_**GO!**_" Not even the Hokage had enough patience for those two.

"Oops, sorry, boss."

"Sorry."

Sighing again, he had to wonder._ How on earth did those two become ANBU, let alone survive the job? Now's not the time. I must go and oversee these events personally. Hopefully Naruto realizes his folly... _

* * *

It was in the training area they normally visited where Naruto and Hinata were, reading the scroll and hoping to properly perform one of the jutsus in there. Mizuki had told them that if they snuck a forbidden scroll out, master one jutsu from there, and put the scroll back undetected, that they could pass and be known as new shinobi of Konoha. Hinata had her doubts, but if this could pass Naruto, it'd be worth it. 

It could also help if she learned something, too... maybe Neji would stop putting her down.

_This entire page is full of hand seals..._

Naruto was still practicing the jutsu he chose a few feet away past the bushes, so Hinata began to take her time and performed the hand seals. With the 108th hand seal done, she called out the jutsu's name:

"Megami Shin no Jutsu!"

After a few moments, it appeared that the jutsu didn't work. After checking if all the hand signs were correct, Hinata decided to turn the page of the scroll and find out what it actually _does..._

"Hey, Hinata-chan! You've got to try this!"

She would of, had Naruto decided to wait. But taking the scroll from her, he went to the part of the scroll that had the jutsu he used.

"This is the one! This is the jutsu I learned! Go ahead, try it!"

"You mastered a jutsu, Naruto-kun? Congratulations!"

"Yeah, I know! C'mon, try it out! If I can do it, so can you!"

The jutsu seemed to be an advanced bushin, from what Hinata could read. Going through the hand seals, she completed them and said:

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

A puff of smoke, and a perfect replica of Hinata was standing next to her.

Hinata suddenly felt drained. She felt like she had trained for hours on end. How much chakra did this jutsu use? Her legs felt so weak...

Before Hinata fell, Naruto caught her and laid her upright on a nearby tree. "Aw, geez, I didn't know it used that much chakra... I'm sorry, Hinata-chan."

She was tired, but conscious. "It's ok... I didn't remember about how you had more chakra than me... I just... need to rest."

The shadow clone didn't seem exhausted, so Naruto decided to put her to work. "Hey, could you keep an eye out for Iruka-sensei up ahead?"

"Um, sure thing, Naruto-kun!"

The Hyuuga girl now thought she was delirious. "D-did you just..."

"Yeah, it's kinda weird. The clone I made actually congratulated me after I found out I could do it."

"How... strange."

"I wouldn't worry about strange things, you two!"

Both Naruto and Hinata turned to the voice they knew so well. Naruto was ecstatic. "Iruka-sensei! Wait until you found out what we learned!"

Walking into the clearing, Iruka said, "Learned? Naruto, you and Hinata and in _big_ trouble!"

"Uh, Iruka-sensei, I know we didn't manage to sneak the scroll back in, but we did learn a jutsu from it, so I think we can pass the secret exam, right?"

Suddenly, Hinata felt her head fog over for a moment... _Oh, no!_

"Naruto-kun, look out!"

"What on earth are you two talking abo-" Iruka never finished his sentence, as an enormous shuriken cut him in two.

"Iruka-sensei!"

"Iruka-sensei!"

Mizuki landed on a nearby branch, carrying another giant shuriken on his back. "Well, that little interference was way too- whoa!"

Dodging the kunai that were now embedded in the tree trunk, the Chuunin noted that Iruka was again standing by the two students. Where he originally was was a small log, cut in half. _Kawarimi... damn it._

"Mizuki, what is the meaning of this? You told them to take the scroll, didn't you?"

Smirking, Mizuki said, "Yeah, so I did. I gotta tell you, those two are Grade A suckers! They thought it was gonna be all right... and they fell for it! Makes my job easy."

"Job?"

"Yeah, that scroll's very valuable. But that's just the icing on the cake!" Moving his gaze to Hinata, he said, "My master would kill to have a Hyuuga. Those eyes, and the girl not having that damn seal? I couldn't believe my luck! Even better, though... is you!"

Mizuki was looking right at Naruto. "Uh, me?"

Iruka wouldn't have this. "Mizuki, stop this, you traitor!"

Said traitor couldn't care less. "C'mon, don't you wanna know why... why this village hates you? Loathes you? Tried to kill you?"

Naruto didn't think he'd hear this. "You know... and you'll... you'll tell me?"

"Damn it, Mizuki!" Iruka sent more kunai in Mizuki's direction.

They were dodged easily, however. "Yeah, lemme tell you a little story. You kids will _love_ it. Almost twelve years ago, the 9-tailed fox demon, Kyuubi, nearly destroyed this village. Countless ninja lost their lives. Hundreds of families became broken that day. Even the Yondaime lost his life to that monster."

Naruto didn't exactly like history lessons. "And? What the hell's that got to do with me?"

Hinata had an idea where this was going, though.

She prayed she was wrong.

Mizuki was loving this. "Well, you should know. The Kyuubi was far too powerful to be killed by mortals. So, the Yondaime had to sacrifice his life..."

"Mizuki!_No!_"

"...to seal it away..."

Hinata gasped. _Why? Why him?_

"...in a newborn child! And that child... that child is you! You are the jinchuuriki of the most powerful demon ever, the Kyuubi!"

Naruto couldn't believe it... but for only a second. It all made sense. The nightly attacks out in the street, being shunned at every corner, the people at the orphanage not caring at all about him...

"But what about the kids at the Academy? A-and the adults who were nice to me?"

The traitor had the guts to laugh. "The old man Hokage made a stupid law saying people couldn't talk about it... some shit about thinking kids would like you. I don't know about you, but without your little girlfriend there, you probably wouldn't have _anyone_ like you. And as for the adults... well, somebody had to take pity on poor, little, possessed you."

"Naruto, this isn't like that! You need to listen to me!" Iruka could only hope Naruto wouldn't fall for what else Mizuki was trying to pull.

"Aw, shut it! Look kid. You've got no life here. You'd never get to be Hokage. You could come with me... have a better life... have a chance to take out all these slimeballs that tried to put you down!"

Naruto looked to Hinata, the one person who was most important to his life, the only person who could help him make a choice. Did she fear him? Hate him? Pity him? Did she think any less of him?

Her eyes, while so full of sadness at the injustice called his life, were otherwise exactly the same since before this revelation. Trusting, hopeful. "Naruto-kun... I... I believe in you."

He had his answer. "No. Hell no!"

"You're kidding, right? Why the hell would you wanna stay?" Mizuki wasn't liking this turn of events, and his grimace was showing it.

"Because, as long as at least one person, just one... as long as they believe in me, in Naruto Uzumaki. Then I will stay. I will work, I will fight. I'll do everything I can to prove my worth to that person, and this entire village! This entire world!" Forming the hand signs for his newest jutsu, he declared, "Everyone will know the name Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage, and the greatest of them all!"

_Screw this. I'll just knock him out before he does something stupid. _"You won't beat me, brat!" But before Mizuki could pull out the senbons coated with the poison to paralyze his target, Naruto's chakra hit it's peak, becoming visible.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

A gigantic burst of smoke covered the field... and revealed an literal_army_ of Narutos, numbering in the hundreds.

_Kage Bushins? Dear Kami... he's not even tired!_ Iruka didn't know whether to be impressed by such a display, or scared shitless.

Being the target of this display, Mizuki _was_ scared shitless. "N-no... W-w-way..."

A group over hundreds strong all voiced the same idea: "You're mine!"

Many tales would be told of Naruto Uzumaki in his early days... most of which would tell of his power in making a one-man-army. Some wouldn't believe it. Some would fear it.

Of those who rightly would fear it, Mizuki Touji would be the first.

* * *

After pounding flat the now-pulpy Mizuki, and dispelling the clones, Naruto handed over the forbidden scroll to Iruka, helped Hinata up to her feet, and began walking back home. Alone. 

"Wait, Naruto-kun!"

Turning to Hinata, Naruto stated, "I know you aren't afraid of me, and do believe in me, but... if we stay close as friends, people will start to try and hurt you. People will find out you know my secret, and they'll hate you, just for being around me. I can't have that, Hinata-chan. I'm sorry." He turned back around, heading home...

For about three steps, before Hinata grabbed onto him, and had him in a hug, her own face full of tears. "I don't care! I don't mind. Naruto-kun... I don't want to be away from you. As long as I can be with you, it's ok..." _Don't let him go, Hinata, you can do this! _"I... I... l-love you. W-with all of my heart."

In the span of a second, she no longer faced his back, but his front, his own head on her shoulder, tears soaking it. "Thank you, Hinata-chan. Thank you. Please, stay by me. I would be the happiest guy ever if you did, b-because, well, I love you too. I can't live without you."

Their eyes meeting, both smiling, Hinata did the one thing she was dreaming about for years. One thing she always wanted, maybe even since they first met.

She kissed him. Hinata felt so happy... wonderful even. If it weren't for the fact she was feeling the kiss, she'd think she was in a dream. Heck, she'd even had the idea she might of just died. This just didn't seem real.

But he was there, and he was kissing her. And sharing her sentiments. He also was thinking her lips were fluffy pillows of a sort...

"Ahem."

Whatever fanciful and sweet music was being heard in their heads was cut short by their sensei, rather amused by their behavior. _Par for the course for Hinata, but whaddya know? The boy can blush. _"I don't exactly like ruining the moment, but we still need to report to the Hokage and explain the situation. After that, I can make it up to ya."

Naruto's redness was instantly replaced by a magical, one-toothed oval smile with sparkley eyes(A/N: Think Spongebob Squarepants or Patrick smiling when overly happy in the most 'tarded way). "Ichiraku's? Really?"

Shaking his head at Naruto antics, Iruka replied, "Yes, now let's hurry, or they'll be closed."

Managing a more normal smile, Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand. "C'mon, Hinata-chan, let's go!"

"Yes, of course." _You know I'd go anywhere with you, Naruto-kun._

* * *

Through his crystal looking-glass, Sarutobi simply chuckled at Naruto's antics. _That may never change, will it, Naruto? I am happy, however. I wish you and Hinata the best. In this world, you'll need it._

He did remember other things, however. _108 seals... only one jutsu I know of has that many. It appears I have no choice. On the bright side, however, she'll finally be coming back home... hopefully to stay. _

* * *

Next Chapter: The next day has Hinata waking up to the side affects to the jutsu she used. How will she deal with it, and what does the Hokage's guest have anything to do with it? Later on, Naruto and Hinata make the grade for the exam... and deal with a kid that has less fashion sense than Naruto himself!

* * *

Stuff you should know:

Bushin- used as the term for the illusionary clones used by ninja.

The crow- A common anime joke is for a character to do something stupid, and then have a shot of a crow fly by, cawing. The joke is that crows can seem like they say "Baka", which is Japanese for idiot/moron. As such, when you see it in anime, they always say baka for those moments.

Kinjutsu- stands for "Forbidden technique". Basically, jutsu that are banned from being taught and/or used, due to either the evil things they do, or because they are really harmful to the user.

Fugaku- Canon name for Sasuke's dad.

Megami Shin no Jutsu- stands for "Goddess Heart technique". You'll find out what it does next chapter...

Kage Bushin no Jutsu- actual name for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. There also a Tajuu Kage Bushin no Jutsu, which is what Naruto actually used on Mizuki here, but as a nod to the dub, which keeps both forms under the same name, I'll just refer to both as Kage Bushin.

Kawarimi- actual name for the substitution skill used in the manga/anime, full name being Kawarimi no Jutsu.

Kyuubi- The 9-tailed fox demon has a name, and it's Kyuubi no Youko. Mostly shortened to Kyuubi.

Jinchuuriki- "human sacrifice", the human vessels for the tailed demons.

Senbons- long, thin needles sometimes used in place of kunai. Quite a bit harder to detect.


	4. Megami Shin

Main screen turn ON: I seemed to have doubled my hits for the story from last chapter. Looks like a result of "10k words filter syndrome", which I am guilty of myself. Anywho, some of you tried to guess at Hinata's new jutsu... and failed. Not even close. It's nice that you tried, though! Once again, please review if you can, comments are appreciated! Story time is now!

Quick edit: Someone clued me in in on a misspelling. All fixed!

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I don't own shit.

* * *

To Hold the Sun 

Chapter 4: Megami Shin

* * *

Mornings in the Hyuuga compound were never very... joyful. The elders, the main and branch families, all in the clan's manor always awoke with somber, dutiful feelings, knowing their place, knowing what the tasks for the day were, and set about doing them. It was tradition. It was expected. Noone really thought anyone would awake in these mornings with a smile on their face. 

If you ever suggested that the one Hyuuga least likely to wake up with a smile would, the ones who would laugh would do so merrily, knowing that such an occurrence would be impossible.

Those who wouldn't laugh would call the ANBU on suspicion of use of illegal substances.

It would probably be a good thing then that nobody saw Hinata greet the day with a small, yet most likely, the most happy smile she ever had. The reason was simple: She had expressed her utmost love for Naruto, and he had returned it likewise.

Even better? It wasn't a dream.

No, Iruka had squashed that idea last night, interrupting her and Naruto's first true kiss with the subtlety of a rhino. The feeling of knowing it was all real this morning, though, was more than enough to keep her from having any anger from her sensei.

The Hokage had been surprisingly receptive of the story they told when the three of them had reached the tower that night. He did not doubt that the tale was false, and if Hinata didn't know any better, she would have thought he saw the whole thing happen. But such a thought was silly. Nobody had such a power to see anything happening when they wanted.

When the scroll was returned, the report given(Iruka thankfully not saying anything of any love declarations), and Mizuki brought back and detained, the trio went to Ichiraku's, where Iruka had ordered for Hinata and Naruto the Super Deluxe Jumbo Family Special: A bowl of ramen so large, Naruto and Hinata both ate from the same bowl at opposite ends. Now, if the evening was cliché enough, the new couple would have gotten both ends of the same strand of noodle, and eat it to the point that their lips met. It probably would have been, as many women would say, the _cutest thing __ever_.

Of course, noone really knew exactly how much Naruto liked ramen. They both _did_ get the same strand of noodle... but Naruto had to suck on the noodle so hard, that by some twist of fate, Hinata was yanked right towards Naruto, and promptly smacked her forehead against his.

Both were unconscious for about ten minutes, which was a good thing, judging by the ranting Teuchi had after having gotten soaked by the overly large bowl of ramen being knocked on him by the two kids knocking into each other. Iruka himself had fled, paying the price for the ramen, knowing Teuchi would probably knock on _his_ head... with a blunt or sharp object, neither of which looked appealing to the Chuunin. Those two could head home on their own, right?

After waking and apologizing profusely, Ayame assuring all was right(While smartly keeping her father a safe distance away from the new couple, or any harmful instruments he could reach), Naruto escorted Hinata home, and ended the night with a small kiss on her cheek at the front of the manor gates, making the whole experience a bit odd, but it was the most wonderful night of her-

_Wait, in front of the manor? But that could mean..._

No, it didn't take long for logic, let alone _panic_, to enter Hinata's mind. She truly did not care about what others might think of Naruto and her together. Even her own family's opinion did not have much sway in her thinking.

But what people would _do_ to him, on the other hand... that scared her. Correction, it frightened her. She didn't want anyone to go after Naruto, just because she loved him. Such a thing just seemed wrong. Would her father object? What would the elders do to Naruto?

Hinata, however, after seven years of being with Naruto, wouldn't let these fears stop her from staying with the boy she cared for. No, she really didn't like to give up, as her new boyfriend always had the idea to never do so. She would simply have to do what she could to keep trouble from rearing it's ugly head, which resulted in her deciding the first task for the day: Speak with the Hokage about the relationship with Naruto. If anyone could reduce the NHQ(Naruto Hurt Quotient), it would be the old man so understanding of the boy she loved.

Rising out of bed, Hinata felt a bit... odd. Something seemed different._ It's probably just that bump on the head I had last night. I shouldn't worry about it._

And so Hinata took a quick shower in her private bathroom(While also wondering why exactly the shower knob snapped off with relative ease... it was probably just broken), changed from her simple white sleeping kimono to her usual outfit, and opened the sliding screen to face the day.

The second she did, however, she was treated to the sound of a screaming Hyuuga, and several crashes, sounding like an explosion went off. Turning her head to the source of the noise, she gasped.

She saw that the screen was no longer there, and looked upon a path of destruction. The wood floor to the side of her room possessed a gash in it, the screen frame that her screen was attached to destroyed, and a general trail of destruction and debris that led all the way to the outer wall of the Hyuuga manor, where, in a somewhat whole state, effectively embedded into the wall, was her screen.

_W-what did I... just do?_

* * *

Tsunade was pissed. 

It was bad enough getting constant requests by the old ape to head home, said requests being reinforced by her apprentice, Shizune. _Doesn't anyone get it? I don't wanna come back, dammit!_

But did he really, _really_ have to use such an underhanded trick? One of the many scrolls the Sandaime had sent her had the simple instruction of holding on to it until she returned to the village. The coot said that it was for safekeeping one of the Yondaime's secret techniques.

Fast forward to today, where she was just about to actually _win_ something for once in her life... and she suddenly gets covered in a puff of smoke, only for it to clear and see herself right in front of the Hokage's desk, her former sensei smirking at her. _Smug bastard._

Her fist was mere inches from his face before he stated the reason for him summoning her, summed up in four words: Megami Shin no Jutsu.

At first, Tsunade began dreading that some baka used the jutsu and got himself killed. Logic stomped that out, though: if some man simply died using the jutsu, it meant there wasn't really a reason for her to be brought back here. Before her fist was fully set for another punch, however, the Sandaime mentioned that a _girl_ used it.

And so here the slug Sannin is, walking towards the Hyuuga clan manor. Part of her, however, was still skeptical, especially since the old man used one of his successor's personal transport scrolls to yank her back here. _A Hyuuga? And the heiress, to boot? I really doubt... that?_

It was at that very moment that she saw part of what looked like a sliding screen protruding from the outer wall of the manor.

_Shit. The ape is still honest to a fault. Why does fate keep bringing me back here?_

Tsunade simply walked past the gate of the manor, the guards at the front recognizing who she was, and realizing how pointless it was for them to try and stop her. She ended up going to the small crowd that was around the origin of the mishap, Hinata herself, still shocked and standing at the entrance to her room.

After maneuvering through the other Hyuugas, the Sannin put a hand on the girl's shoulder, having her snap back to reality, and looking up at Tsunade.

"You look like you need to get some air, kid. Take a walk with me."

Hinata, still a bit shocked and confused, wondered why this gorgeous woman was here. She wore black pants of some sort, wooden heels, and had on a green coat over a gray kimono cut short. The woman had long blond hair put into two long pigtails down her back, hazel eyes, a odd purple diamond mark on her head, and also seemed rather... gifted... in the chest. Still, Hinata did want to get out of the manor, if only to figure out what was going on. Nodding her head, she let herself be led outside.

"Where are you taking my daughter?"

Both females turned to the voice's owner, Hiashi himself. Hinata immediately began to worry what her father might do.

Tsunade, however, was just annoyed.

"If you wanna know, just talk to the Hokage. I've got more important things to do than argue with a bunch of sticks in the mud."

With that, she promptly turned Hinata around, and went out the gate.

* * *

The two were now sitting inside one of the many restaurants in Konoha, which seemed to attract a diverse range of customers, from ninjas in training to even ANBU. 

"I'm getting the barbecue pork. What about you, man?"

"24, I could not possibly eat that. I'd be like an Altairian Sea Worm eating a cargo ship full of beans. Not even the Millennial Peregrine would stop that gas."

"Pfft, what a baby."

At Hinata's booth, she was wondering what exactly was going on here. Her schooling, as well as the waitress's reaction to the woman in front of her, led the Hyuuga to believe that this woman was none other than the legendary Sannin, the medical genius, Tsunade. Which led to the question: Why was she here, and what interest would she have in her?

Tsunade decided to start things off. "I'm guessing you know who I am now, right?"

"Y-yes."

"Then you should know why I'm here."

"W-what I did... at the manor?"

"Close. That was the _result_ of what you did. Think back. What could have possibly changed to make that happen?"

Thinking back, it took a moment before the thing that stood out came to her.

"The Megami Shin n-no Jutsu!"

"Smart girl. That's right. The Megami Shin no Jutsu is the cause of this. Do you know what that is? It's a jutsu that's been in my clan for countless generations."

Gasping, Hinata went into apology mode. "I-I'm so sorry! I d-didn't mean to-"

"Whoa, hold it, kid. From what I heard, you were just trying to help a friend. Now, I don't wanna see you do something like that again, but considering what happened, I'll let this slide. Now, do you want to know what the jutsu does?"

After the girl nodded, Tsunade began again. "The Megami Shin no Jutsu does two things, both permanent. The first is that your body begins compacting chakra into a super-condensed form. As it does this, your muscle and bone structure, with this denser chakra's power, begin increasing to superhuman levels of support and strength. The change is gradual, and in a matter of days, you'll have more punch than most people could imagine. As you've seen yourself, it can be a problem. The second thing this jutsu does is that it begins increasing the amount of chakra coils in your body, and effectively increases how much chakra you can store in your body. The two areas it happens in are the female reproductive organs, which isn't noticeable at all, and the second is, um... how do I say this discreetly?"

Tsunade decided the best route of action and pointed...

...to her chest.

Having put two and two together, Hinata instantly changed into a very good impression of a tomato again, absolutely horrified of what was happening to her, all while mumbling incoherently.

The Sannin should of expected such a reaction. "Wait, don't panic! It isn't as bad as it sounds! Trust me, I know!"

After hearing those words, Hinata calmed down. "Y-you know?"

"Yes. Like I said, it's been in my clan. I've used it later than you, but I've been through it. I wouldn't worry about becoming some perverted fantasy at the age of twelve. The extra chakra coils and the accompanying growth in the... upper areas... won't be nearly as fast as the chakra condensing; It'll be years before you'll worry about that too much. Look on the bright side, though! If you keep your fashion sense as it is, you'll have no problems!"

Hinata could do nothing but sigh.

_She's a real chipper kid._ "Hey, be glad it was you who used that jutsu. If your friend did that jutsu, he'd be dead by now."

"W-what? Dead?"

"Yeah, the Megami Shin no Jutsu is fatal to men. The changes performed by the jutsu are changes that a male body can't handle. It disrupts their chakra flow. The spare coils also end up destroying their heart. The only known way for a male to inherit anything regarding this jutsu, is for an infant born of a woman who performed the Megami Shin no Jutsu to be fed with their milk. Only then can the growing baby receive the nutrients needed to possess the condensed chakra; the extra chakra coils cannot be acquired by any man."

The Hyuuga girl was thankful. For once, Naruto's short attention span saved his life.

Tsunade continued. "Now that we've been through that, there's one thing you still need regarding this: control. You have a lot of strength right now, but no way to control it. I do have a way to help: just follow my hand signs."

After following the eight signs, Hinata was told, "Alright, now just recite this jutsu's name: Genkai Seiryoku no Jutsu."

"Genkai Seiryoku no Jutsu!"

Hinata felt a bit less different than she did this morning, and she also noticed two bands of black circle her wrist on her skin. Soon after, eight kanji formed, each meaning a number from one through eight.

"This is a jutsu that restricts the amount of physical power you can use. With all eight seals active, it will be as if the Megami Shin no Jutsu was never used. To release the seals, and regain more strength, simply recite the number of seals you wish undone, and call for their release. Try it."

Once Hinata put her hands in the seal Tsunade demonstrated, she called: "Ichi, Kai!"

She felt another slight change in herself, and watched the symbol for one vanish.

"Do remember that if you dispel all eight seals, the jutsu will vanish. It needs to be reapplied each time you need to restore the seals. You may have noticed, but it's not perfect. You need someone to teach you how to use your strength properly, so you won't need it and be able to use your power as necessary on the fly. So you've got two choices: either me, or..."

Tsunade looked to her left, Hinata following her gaze... and noticing the two ninja wearing green. The older one had a ninja vest, and both had bowl cuts and rather enormous eyebrows.

"You have progressed well, my student. It will only be a matter of time before the world sees the inferno that is the flames of your youth!"

"I understand, Gai-sensei! I will train to be the most powerful shinobi ever! Everyone in this village will see me as a true genius of hard work!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

And so the two continued, repeating endearments, while their booth and the wall beside them mysteriously became a rocky beach and sunset, the waves crashing against the shore in a magical display.

"Wow, those two are totally gay for each other."

"See, 21? I told you that's how he reels them in."

"So sad."

Or not so magical.

Not that Hinata didn't like her old haircut, but after seeing, well,_ that_, she suddenly understood why Naruto liked her longer hair. There are just some things you can't unsee.

Now wasn't the time for this, though. Hinata turned back to Tsunade. "Tsunade-dono, please... teach me."

"You're really serious, huh? Is there some big reason why?"

"Yes. I need to protect Naruto. He needs my help. If I don't, then... who knows what the village might do to him? I-it's... not his fault. Someone needs to help him."

Tsunade knew _exactly_ what Hinata was talking about. _She really does know about the Kyuubi? And she's seems... thankful, for the power she now has?_

Suddenly:

"Hey, Hinata-chan! There you are, been looking everywhere for ya!"

Said object of Hinata's affections sat down next to the girl, and kissed her cheek, making her blush. Looking to Tsunade, Naruto said, "Oh, um... who's she?"

_This village needs to stop getting my hopes up._ "If you really need to know, I'm Hinata's new sensei. Isn't that right?"

Hinata smiled. "Y-yes, Tsunade-sensei!"

"Hmm. Just give me a few days, and we'll start training for you, ok? Since that's done, how about we eat?"

"Yay! Ramen!"

"They don't serve that here, kid..."

"So, Ichiraku's then!"

"Well, enjoy yourself then. We're staying here. Hinata's having my favorite: free food."

Naruto didn't protest so much after that.

* * *

In a few days time, Tsunade's apprentice, Shizune, and her pet pig, Ton-Ton, had arrived in the village(The Hokage didn't think of everything, you know). With that, Hinata's training began. On the first day of training, Hinata was told to take a nut in one hand, and slap both her hands together without the Genkai Seiryoku no Jutsu. The nut was crushed. Tsunade stated that when Hinata could avoid destroying the nut while doing this, then her training was done. 

At first, Hinata was to try and hit a tree without breaking it. A few dozen broken trees later, her sensei demoted her to try and not break boulders or the ground.

While this was going on, Tsunade told Shizune to instruct Naruto in some proper chakra control. Hinata did tell her that was an area that Naruto lacked in. Even better, it'd keep the kid from getting in the way, or left out.

This, however, had the unfortunate side effect of Naruto prying for info on Tsunade. Except for a few things, Shizune couldn't resist. So Naruto found things out about Tsunade.

Like her age.

Naruto thusly came up with the idea for a new nick name for Hinata's sensei: Oba-sannin.

It took a few hours to pry Naruto off the dirt after he first used the name.

Tsunade and Shizune quickly learned all about the lives of the two kids. The fact they looked after each other for so long, as well as the revelation that Naruto had the Kyuubi simply making their bond_ stronger_... Tsunade couldn't very well say that Konoha was a worthless village now, could she?

The time to the final exam in the academy went by quickly. While keeping her new power secret, Hinata managed to hit the second place in class, just under Sasuke himself. Naruto himself managed to get past Choji and Ino in the class ranks. He would have done better, but Naruto just plain sucked at genjutsu, and he still didn't pay attention to anything outside of combat, for the most part. But he didn't mind. He wasn't dead last!

During this time, it also became easily clear that Naruto and Hinata were an item of some sort. The academy in it's entirety knew it was only a matter of time... even Kiba knew they got together.

He still tried to pull moves on Hinata, but you could expect no less from the hard-headed Inuzuka.

Tsunade humored Hinata, and let her tell the Hokage about her relationship with Naruto, and her knowledge of his prisoner. The Hokage was in on it as well, and replied that he would help her, after now hearing that the rumors are true.

He actually helped the day Tsunade led Hinata away from the Hyuuga manor, as Hiashi demanded an explanation for everything. Sarutobi told the clan head about the Megami Shin no Jutsu, and what happened the night before. Hiashi had deemed the situation acceptable, and stated that the elders would not mind anything that resulted in a stronger heir, indirectly or not. Apparently, this also meant Hinata's relationship with the Kyuubi container. All Sarutobi said was that he hoped he was right... and that Akemi still had a knack for relationships, even if she passed away.

The day for the final exam came, and Naruto didn't think it could be any easier. With the Kage Bushin no Jutsu, Naruto passed with flying colors. Hinata had passed as well, and so did Shikamaru and Choji. Most of the kids at the academy that remained passed, actually.

After the graduation ceremony, where the Hokage congratulated all the Genin on becoming ninjas of Konoha, most of the kids joined their parents for celebration. Naruto and Hinata themselves were going to meet up with Tsunade and Shizune to celebrate. Naruto wanted Iruka to come along, but the Chuunin apparently had work to do. The young pair were about to say farewell to the Hokage when:

"Your reign ends now, Hokage!"

Sarutobi sighed. "He's trying again, apparently."

Both Naruto and Hinata were confused. "Huh?"

"Here I come!"

Taking notice of the small figure on the nearby roof, having some sort of really long(We're talking six feet long, people) scarf, the stranger leaped off from the roof, right in front of them.

And got his scarf caught on the building, stopping his descent a few feet from the ground.

Shocked at the now-revealed small boy struggling for air, all present watched the boy's scarf rip and send him crashing down on the ground.

Naruto commented, "That's one strange kid."

The kid immediately got up, suddenly had his scarf billowing at his side again, and the three there saw his attire. He wore a strange helmet that had some of his hair poke out of the back, not-so-strange clothes for a kid... and a hugely disproportionate pair of shades on him, pointy and red colored.

"**Who the hell do you think I am!?** I am Konohamaru, soon-to-be slayer of the Hokage, and soon-to-be_ actual_ Hokage! Fear me!"

If one had enough imagination, you could hear an audible twang.

The Sandaime lowered his hat. "That is my grandson."

"Did he hit his head?"

"Enough! I shall defeat you today, and take my place as Hokage! Behold!" Performing some seals, he shouted, "Orioke no Jutsu!"

Konohamaru, in a puff of smoke, turned into a tall, slender, _naked_ woman. Although there was some smoke hanging around certain parts, it didn't leave much to the imagination.

Naruto couldn't believe this. "You have got to be kidding me... that's your attack?" How could he be impressed by this?

He got it all wrong. It didn't look a _thing_ like Hinata.

Hinata herself was just looking the other way, thoroughly embarrassed.

Sarutobi, however, was out cold, his nose creating a pool of blood around his head.

Another puff of smoke, and the kid was back to normal... as normal as those glasses and scarf could get. "Success! Now that I have defeated him, I shall rise to the seat of-"

"_**Get back here, you little worm!**_"

Naruto and Hinata looked to the left, and saw a _very_ angry woman running towards the small kid, wearing nothing but a fishnet shirt, a trench coat, and a mini skirt.

"Gah, Scary Lady Anko! I'm outta here!" He began running, but stepped back to the two still standing after his display, pointed his finger at them, and said, "Fear me!"

"You better not run, dammit!"

"Tactical retreat!"

After seeing the kid run away, and the scary woman following him, Naruto had only one thing to say.

"After I become Hokage, I'm getting a psychiatrist."

Hinata could only nod.

* * *

Next chapter: Naruto and Hinata are put in a team, and Kakashi tests his squad. Afterwards, the first D-rank for the Genin! An animal is lost, but it isn't a cat...

* * *

Stuff you should know:

Genkai Seiryoku no Jutsu: "Limit Power Technique". The jutsu, working with the eight chakra gates, forcibly restricts physical strength. For a normal person, this could paralyze them, but for someone who performed Megami Shin no Jutsu, it simply makes it as if they didn't gain power from the jutsu. The amount of power limited can be adjusted, by 1/8th increments.

Ichi: The japanese word for the number one. What Hinata did was dispel one seal of the Genkai Seiryoku.

Kai: "Release". Used as a way to dispel genjutsu. It can be modified to dispel the seals of the Genkai Seiryoku.

-dono: Honorific, display the utmost level of humility towards a person, used for people of incredibly high status, such as lords of a nation.

Oba-: Oba-san is a term used to refer to middle-aged women. Naruto decided to twist it into the form you see in the story here. Normally, women are mad from this because you're calling them older. Tsunade's mad because he's _right_.

Orioke no Jutsu: The "Sexy Jutsu" Naruto was fond of using in his early days. In this story, he actually spent less time pranking, and thusly didn't develop it. Konohamaru picked up the slack, though.


	5. Fluffy the Terrible

I hope this finds you well: _SO SORRY!!11lamememe!_ Two weeks, to write this? Me is ashamed. :( I was kinda burnt out on writing, though. Anyways, a few things to say: First off, the Megami Shin is forbidden not only because it could kill any man who uses it, but it would be too dangerous to have any and every woman under the sun to use it. It's the Hokage's choice as to who uses it, and he's pretty much forbidden it outright. Second: I don't exactly hate any of the characters. Gai and Lee aren't actually gay; I simply had 21 and 24 have a reaction normal people would have if they knew the two weren't related. Oh, and if you don't know why beans can lead to farting... I can't help you there. Last thing: I won't guarantee I can update next week, but check my profile for the status of the next chapter. Remember, let me know of any writing mistakes. Now,_ story, ho!_

* * *

Disclaimer: Again, I don't really own anything, certainly not Naruto. Or anything else, really.

* * *

To Hold the Sun 

Chapter 5: Fluffy the Terrible

* * *

The celebratory dinner for Naruto and Hinata was the perfect opportunity to ask their senseis about the rather odd boy who seemed to cause more than a fair share of headaches for the Hokage. 

Tsunade herself made a point to not try and be too involved in village gossip; she still was set upon leaving the village when Hinata got her control over her strength to perfection. No, she still didn't agree to sending these people and children to such dangerous work. Why sacrifice their lives like this? After all these years, it still didn't make sense to her. She had asked them before if they would leave Konoha behind. Both of them refused. But she just couldn't let these two kids go unprepared... if they had to choose the same fate Dan and Nawaki had, it would at least be one they were ready to prevent, if they could.

Shizune, however, had no qualms of gossiping it Konoha, and was glad to share what she knew of Konohamaru. The kid, living in his grandfather's shadow, had tried to do everything to impress people... and failed. Not because they weren't impressed, but because they _always_ were. Even if his jutsu stunk like an industrial-grade stink bomb, people would simply nod and praise him. Noone criticized him. In his desperation to be seen differently, the Hokage's grandson dedicated himself to one thing: annoying the hell out of people.

While the common folk weren't to well known about his abilities, the higher circles of nobility in the Land of Fire were. Konohamaru easily snagged the title "Prince of Pranks", and had turned surprising and pranking the elite into an art form. Lords and Ladies everywhere feared the child; the Fire Lord himself would not be seen near the boy. Apparently Konohamaru had a personal trainer of the highest degree... until he combined Orioke no Jutsu and a few bushins... it was reported Ebisu had quit and tried to leave for a monastery in order to "purify" himself.

So the Hokage had to find someone who could be immune to such tricks, and more importantly, not put up with the child's antics. Thusly, Anko became assigned to him. And as Naruto and Hinata saw... the lady _hated_ the job.

The couple knew the want to be seen differently, both probably would've traded an arm and a leg to be seen positively. They also knew, though, that the behavior this kid was using was just not really a good way to do so. Naruto had no regrets for the time he did prank people around, but that was for entirely different reasons. The new Genin resolved himself to track the boy down one day, and set him straight.

* * *

Iruka had a relatively easy time choosing the three Genin teams this year. 

Not because he didn't know which nine students were best to use, however.

It was because people decided to choose for him, actually. The village council would hear nothing of no team this year that didn't have a Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka together. Simply preposterous, they said. It'd be perfect! The council never seemed to have heard of the word "disaster", it seemed. And then there was the oh-so-happy time that he got to meet the slug Sannin... and have the wall next to his head get a hole punched into it, with Tsunade promising more, on his person, if Naruto and Hinata were not on the same team.

The teams would work out, however, in theory. Ino/Shika/Cho would be well suited for capture and submission, Team 8 would have a tracking team not completely reliant on a clan's inherent traits(And hopefully put an emphasis on skill for that part that had no clan trait), and Team 7?

One of the best attack teams out of the academy in years. Naruto was capable of creating hundreds of kage bushins, capable of launching an impressive assault. The boy also had stamina and chakra reserves far larger than most ninja. Most importantly, Naruto was incredibly determined and loyal. That whole stunt with Mizuki proved that. All weaknesses, however, were towards education. Naruto simply had a problem learning; either he couldn't understand the concept presented to him, or he couldn't hold his attention to a subject for long enough to learn it. Because of this, he had only one skill, one trump card. Many ninjas became failures due to such problems. Or dead. Both, usually.

Hinata had no problems with learning. In fact, in the entire class, Hinata had top marks in all written material, and excellent chakra control. She knew all the jutsus Genin were expected to know, as well as a few advanced ones, most likely taught by her clan. Speaking of, her use of Juuken and Byakugan gave her additional skills that went towards fighting threats. Once Iruka knew of the Megami Shin(Naruto had to tell _someone..._), it was simple to see Hinata had many advantages over other Genin. Higher amounts of chakra, unreal strength...

But there was a price. Hinata had no real control over her strength, and was still far away from mastering it. Even worse, however, was when he found the reason Naruto skipped school one day: Hinata was put into a hospital bed, while training with Naruto without supervision. There was a reason Tsunade trained with Hinata how she did... there was a limit to how much a person could use such high-powered might without growing tired. Hinata was very young, and as such, didn't have the physical stamina to keep up with her full power. Noone did. Supposedly, Tsunade had a limit, but noone had seen it. Hinata's limit: Somewhere around a few seconds. In the end, Tsunade had said she let them train alone on purpose; what better way to know your limit than experience it firsthand?

Sasuke was the most well-rounded of the three: Well learned, physically strong and fast, top of the class overall... and no Sharingan yet! He only had two weaknesses, one of which not of his own doing: Both Hinata and Naruto had extremely special circumstances that gave them a boost over the Uchiha's pure power and/or chakra capacity. His other weakness, however, was the negativity he had ever since his clan was slaughtered by his brother. He could understand why, but if it didn't stop, it would hurt him... and everyone else. Hopefully Naruto and Hinata's happiness rub off, if only a little.

And so Iruka assigned Teams 7, 8, and 10.

But not without the proper drama, of course. Sakura and Ino just needed to understand what they were doing was childish. Kiba wasn't so much of a problem, but that final nail had to be put into the coffin.

And so, with all the Genin hopefuls gathered at their old classroom, Iruka called it out.

"Team 7. Sasuke Uchiha."

Said boy was just sitting there, somewhat bored. The two fangirls, however, were already seeing stars.

"Hinata Hyuuga."

Kiba was at attention now, probably wondering if this was his chance. Sakura had her hands together, praying to the Kamis for their divine help, and Ino simply giggling gleefully. In a part of Iruka's mind, he could see the girl wearing a gray robe and pointy hat, cackling madly while preparing to sacrifice a goat over a roasting fire.

Even Naruto and Hinata were on edge, most likely not even knowing that they were set together beforehand.

So why _not_ string it out a moment longer?

"And..."

Too bad a lazy, impatient, cloud-loving Nara had to be there. "Do we really need to have this troublesome fake drama? What next, an ad for Choji's potato chips?"

"All right, I've had my fun. The last person on Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki!"

Thusly, much hugging and cheering between Naruto and Hinata, Kiba banging his head on his desk repeatedly, and both Sakura and Ino wailing in despair.

Back in Iruka's head, the goat had nibbled free from it's bindings, took the hat off witch-Ino's head with it's mouth, and trotted off, leaving a shocked and tearful girl whose fire had burned out.

For all the hardships they put him through, today was worth it.

* * *

Two hours. 

Roughly two hours after Kurenai had taken Kiba, Sakura, and Shino of Team 8 with her, as well as Asuma dragging out Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji of Team 10, Team 7 was _still_ waiting for whoever their sensei might be.

Sasuke, outwardly, was still the image of cool all had seen him to be. In his own mind, however, he was furious. What kind of sensei did they get for him to be so damn late? At this rate, his brother would die of old age instead of by his hand. Sasuke didn't have much of a schedule or timeline regarding his revenge, but this was taking way too long.

At least the sounds of smooching died only a half hour in.

Yes, the happy fact that they were on the same team had caused Naruto and Hinata to lose track of time and simply be caught up in each other. Specifically, their faces. More specifically, on the lips. Thirty minutes of gentle kissing, however, and they remembered they had a sensei to wait for, panicked... and were told by Sasuke that the person wasn't there... and to get a room next time they had to "Suck face". As such, Naruto was already not liking Sasuke being on their team.

Hinata was plain old embarrassed. She completely forgot that other people were there! Even after all this waiting, she still had a blush on her.

Naruto was _just_ about to voice his utter hatred of this wait when, at that very moment, the door to the classroom opened, and in walked the man would would be teaching them. He wasn't really wearing anything special, just the standard uniform used by Chuunins and Jounins. What was different was how he used it to cover his face: He had a mask covering his mouth and nose, only having his eyes shown... well, _eye_, as he had his headband halfway pulled down to conceal his left eye. Add his gray hair, which just seemed to resemble a weed of some sort, and you had one of the more different looking Jounins in Konoha.

Despite being late, he acted as if nothing was wrong. "Team 7, I assume?"

All three had their attention on him, but Naruto just went for the obvious. "What took you so long!? We've been here for-freaking-ever!"

Their new sensei was pretty much not too concerned with that. "Well, I just had a couple things to do, but enough of that. Follow me."

With that, the four went up to one of the balconies of the academy. With the three Genin in front of him, the Jounin started things off. "So, first things first. Introductions are in order, I would think. My name is Kakashi Hatake. The things that I like are none of your business. I suppose there are a couple things I dislike. I don't really have any dreams, and any goals I have are unimportant. So, who's next?"

To say Naruto was unimpressed with this was an understatement. "You call _that_ an introduction!? All we got outta that is your name!"

"Well, if you can do better, go ahead."

"No problem! The name's Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen and training, and I love Hinata-chan." Said girl was blushing a bit harder than before. "I dislike other people who can't try and be nice to people cause they have to go along with all the gossip-hounds and follow along blindly, and people who have a stick up their ass!" Naruto was aiming an ugly look at the Uchiha. "My goal is to be the best ninja I can be, and help Hinata-chan whenever I can! My dream... I wanna reach the top! I'll be the top ninja in the village! To hold the sun, in my hand... I'll be the next Hokage! Count on it!"

_He's still energetic. A bit poetic with that last bit._ "I guess you can go next, Miss...?"

"H-Hinata Hyuuga. I like my flowers, books, and Taiyaki. I-I love Naruto-kun." Naruto just rubbed the back of his neck. "I dislike people who can't see a person for who they really are, instead of some foolish _thing_. My goal is to be a good heir for my clan, and help Naruto-kun. My dream... is to see Naruto become Hokage, and be by his side the whole time."

_So the talk around town was on the mark, for once._ Kakashi had heard that Naruto and Hinata were together, but more importantly, had heard from a certain ramen shop owner that the heiress knew of Naruto's prisoner. Her statement proved it... and she still cared for him. _Don't mess it up, Naruto. _Looking at the Uchiha, he said, "Then that leaves you. If you would."

"I am Sasuke Uchiha. I have nothing I like, and I _love_ noone." That particular word was spoken with distaste. "I dislike idiots who think just because they have a girlfriend, they're invincible."

"Hey!"

"Sasuke-san..."

Ignoring them, Sasuke went on. "Dreams are for the weak. My only goal... is to end the life of a certain person. Nothing else matters."

Their new sensei sighed. _Great, a kid who seems to have nothing but sugar in his veins and a fox in his stomach, a shrinking violet that could accidentally rip someone's arm off without a restraining jutsu, an arrogant boy hell-bent on revenge, and to top it all off, two of them are nuts for each other. This is for having the Icha-Icha novels, isn't it, Minato-sensei?_ Kakashi had his work cut out for him. One thing about couples working together: They either become incredible teams with perfect teamwork... or get so caught up in romance, they don't notice the kunais lodged in their skulls. Hopefully this case would be the latter. More importantly, the joy they seemed to share would again, hopefully, rub off on Sasuke.

Assuming, however, they passed his test.

* * *

Interesting fact about Naruto: He may skip breakfast like he might have been told, but make him wait too long, and he'll just jump to lunch. 

Team 7 was told to wait at this training area this morning for their new sensei and his test to see if they were ready to be Genin. Naruto was ready to beat Iruka within an inch of his life after finding out he needed to take another test, but the Chuunin simply told him it was within Kakashi's position as sensei: sometimes a Jounin would think a team is not up to par, and would thusly test them. Kakashi took advantage of this, and for the past few years, flunked all the teams that came to him. All Iruka told him to do was to be himself, and go at it 100 percent.

Kakashi also wanted them to not eat breakfast. He never said lunch, however, and Naruto figured if he was hungry, he wouldn't be able to fight well, especially since it was around an hour after they got to this spot. Hinata, the one responsible for such a lunch, agreed. She even went so far as to share some food with Sasuke, much to her boyfriend's dislike. Sasuke himself was surprised at the quality of the food... I mean, it was passable. Yes, that was what he was thinking. It certainly wasn't slop.

A while after the quick lunch, Kakashi finally strolled in carrying a clock and a few box lunches. After setting the clock down on one of the logs, he said, "Alright. I assume you didn't eat breakfast?"

"No, but since you _took so long_ getting here, we had to have lunch, Kakashi-sensei!"

_Hmm, that's not good._ "Well, I suppose you're right, Naruto. Guess I won't need this." With that, the Jounin tossed the box lunches in the air.

And let them hit the dirt, spilling the contents on the ground.

Both Hinata and Sasuke were a bit surprised by this, but Naruto was in hysterics. It was as if the food fell in slow-motion. Such tragedy! _He KILLED the food! Teme-sensei, why?!_

The boy didn't have much time to mourn, however, as Kakashi pulled out two small silver bells. "Now, the test is for you to take these silver bells from me. I won't make it easy, so fight with all you have."

It took less than a second for Sasuke to understand the order they were given yesterday. "You were expecting us to fight on empty stomachs, weren't you?"

Putting the bells back on his belt loop, Kakashi replied, "I suppose I'll admit that. Our colorblind comrade over there managed to get you through that, however. Sometimes impatience pays off, I suppose. But I'm not done yet: You see, only the ones who hold a bell at the end of this exercise will be on my team. The one who doesn't goes back to the academy."

All three of the kids there were shocked by this. Weren't Genins always in 3-man teams? Well, it could be said that the Jounin sensei was the third...

Hinata turned to Naruto. "Naruto-kun."

"Yeah?"

"When we get the bells... p-please, let yourself and Sasuke-san hold on to them."

"Wait, what?! Hinata-chan, don't do that!"

"It's for the best. Sasuke-san is the best in our class, and I still need to learn to control over my ability. I cannot have you give up your dream to be Hokage."

"No, if anyone's gonna be sent back, it'll be me! I'm the one who's ranked lower than all of us... and besides, it won't stop me from being Hokage, it's just a setback."

"B-but, Naruto-kun..."

Kakashi could only watch, dumbstruck. _Just like..._ While the couple had their first actual argument, the Jounin saw his old comrades, but in slightly different roles. Rin would argue at the top of her lungs, saying that her idea was superior, while Obito would just stand there, laid-back, and calmly and slowly present his counterpoints. While the genders were switched, at the moment, they were a mirror to Kakashi's past.

It all came to an end, however, when two silver bells went towards the pair, both catching them. Kakashi snapped out of it. "Wait, what?"

"I don't know what you were thinking, but I thought Jounins don't get distracted easily?"

Kakashi looked to his right, and there was Sasuke, who had successfully nabbed the bells off his sensei's belt loop. Needless to say, the man was humbled. _To be distracted like that... somebody's out after me, I'm sure._

The ones who now had the bells were a little surprised, to say the least.

"S-Sasuke-san, why did you do this?"

"Yeah, why would you give it up?"

Sasuke merely squinted at them, as if it was obvious. "Why do you think? With the way you're acting, the two of you would fall apart if separated. What kind of team would I have if someone's all melodramatic over being split up?" _Besides, I'll probably get a better team next year. Yeah, that's it._

With this going on, Kakashi couldn't believe it. _In their own way, they understand. All three of them... they know what a team is for._

Naruto, of course, tried to argue. "Look, teme, I don't need-"

"That's_ enough!_" Grabbing their attention, the Jounin went on. "The three of you, for all you've done, you..."

Once again, adults thought they needed to add prolonged drama. As if that would be successful, or even worth anything, like money. Right?

"...pass. All of you."

"Huh?"

"Um..."

"What?"

Closing his eye, Kakashi elaborated. "The three of you showed you have what it takes, putting the value of your teammates over yourselves. All of the other Genin I've been given have been selfish by default. They never thought to work with each other, let alone _sacrifice_ anything for the good of the team. You three, however, had me here for less than ten minutes and have already gone leaps and bounds further than them. I can safely say I'm proud of you, all of you. As such, welcome to Team 7."

The most orange of the three spoke first. "So, we're in? We're done?"

"Pretty much."

"All right! We did it! Time to celebrate!"

Looking at the clock, Kakashi responded, "Hmm, might as well. And what better way to celebrate it than by having our first mission? ...Naruto? Hinata?"

All that was left was puffs of some dust or whatever in the shape of the two Genin, and what appeared to be a large trail on the dirt, as if someone dragged a person along the ground.

Sasuke looked at his sensei. "Regretting your job yet?"

All the Kakashi could do was sigh. "Meh. Maybe a little."

* * *

"Here, Fluffy!" 

"Fluffy!"

"Fluffy!"

"C'mon, Fluffy!"

Once all of Team 7 was at the Hokage's tower Naruto had tried to chew out Kakashi and Sasuke about being late... then Hinata reminded him about her sore arm and feet that resulted in him dragging her across the village in record time.

So while Naruto was mumbling apologies, Kakashi received the first mission for his team, which was actually the first mission for the graduating class this year. Apparently, the Fire Lord's wife had lost her new pet bunny, Fluffy. The white rabbit was a rare breed from the west, and as such, the pay was actually higher than most D-Rank missions. Anyways, here they were, looking for a lost, cute pet.

"Man, I didn't know missions were so boring!"

"Sadly, it's a fact of life, Naruto. A lot of missions are simple and bland, D-Ranks especially, but they still pay, so we get them done. Besides, like it or not, it's a chance to get some experience. Everyone works their way up."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei. Hey, Sasuke! You could try calling it, too!"

"Oh, yes, like 3 voices screaming for a bunny will get it over here faster. It'd probably run away if it was here."

"Naruto-kun, why don't we look around?"

"You mean in the bushes and stuff? Great idea, Hinata-chan!" With that, they began searching the area. Naruto eventually came across their target, the white bunny, with red eyes.

"Hey, guys, I found-"

And with a strange, high-pitched howl, the bunny _attacked_.

No, seriously, it latched onto his arm and started gnawing.

"Hey! Get this thing off me!"

His two teammates ran up to him, and were horrified to see the situation.

"The hell is that?!"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

The crazed rabbit was just too wild. Every time they tried to get it from Naruto, it would howl louder, and fidget around even more. To the boy himself, this was getting irritating.

"Stupid...Fluffy! Just... get off-"

And then it found flesh, and broke through, tasting blood, becoming absolutely rabid.

"_Ahhh! Hel-_"

The snow-white menace was knocked away by the back of Kakashi's hand. Sadly, killing the thing was not exactly a good idea considering who the client was. Instead, he used a mild genjutsu to put it to sleep, hopefully long enough to get it in a cage.

Now carrying the target, Kakashi asked his student, "You ok? I didn't think this... _bunny_ was actually a threat. It proved me wrong, though."

At first, Naruto's arm had a sizable hunk of skin and tissue chewed off, but it was already repairing itself. A short moment, and it was nothing but a stain of blood on his arm. Hinata was close enough to see this, and knew who exactly was behind it. Sasuke wasn't close enough, however, and didn't seem to notice any change.

"Ah, no. Just a scratch, Kakashi-sensei."

"Good. Let's head back, then. I think we're done for today."

As they headed back, Kakashi had only one thought on his mind. _Since when do rare breeds of rabbit eat meat?_

Even though he knew he needed to know, he really didn't want to.

* * *

Next chapter: Team 7 keep completing missions, and eventually get a C-Rank! After a quick party, the group head off to... well, where else? The Land of Waves.

* * *

Stuff you should know: 

Taiyaki- It's a waffle... shaped like a fish. Filled with filling. Normally _bean_ filling. Yeah. You do not know how hard it was not to make a fart joke about that.


End file.
